Where is Peter Falconio Buried?

Peter Falconio's body is buried somewhere in the Australian outback but Bradley Murdoch isn't going to tell us where it is because he still maintains he's innocent. Murdoch 51, was shifted from the old gaol in Darwin to Alice Springs in 2007. There was a rumour going around at one stage that he would disclose the location of the body if he got a transfer to Perth to be closer to his family. The Northern Territory police offered to fix it for him if he told them where the body was but he refused and there was no deal.

Murdoch was eventually transferred from Darwin to Alice Springs because he knew how to get on the right side of prison guards as well as inmates. He was seen as a good bloke by everyone and his fame gave him celebrity and power. Of course, his size also helped. Police said he is well behaved and knows how to play the wardens to get what he wants.

Former inmates who have spent time with Murdoch in Darwin and Alice Springs gaol say he's happy to chat about his past with the Gypsie Jokers bikie gang and his drug running experiences. But when the subject turns to Joanne and Falconio, he shuts down and denies everything.

It's claimed that Murdoch was off his head on amphetamines when he shot Falconio, he had followed the young British couple and his focus was on his prize - Joanne. In 2002, he kidnapped a young woman and her mother in South Australia, but was aquitted of the charge, even though the same home-made handcuffs he used on Joanne were also used in the kidnapping.

Murdoch comes across as a good bloke and easy to get on with. He swears he is innocent but has lost all his appeals and now faces a 28 year slog. He's worked his way out of maximum security and is a resident of the medium security K block. He works in and runs the mechanical workshop and teaches young Aboriginal men how to MIG weld. He was also responsible for the construction of a four wheel drive water trailer for the prison and is admired as a clever mechanic. He's spent happy hours working on the Correctional Services' dirt buggy entered in the annual Finke River desert race. Eighty per cent of prisoners in the Northern Territory are Aboriginal and they call prison guards "boss". They say "Boss, can I use this hammer?" Murdoch doesn't do that.

In 1995 Murdoch fired into a crowd of Aborigines who were celebrating an AFL grand final in a riverbed at Fitzroy Crossing. He also has KKK tattooed on his forearms which is impossible to hide. It makes no difference, he gets on well with the Aboriginal population in gaol. But he's no fool either, as one inmate said that if he ever attacked a black brother, most of his family, who are also in prison, would quickly sort him out.

A police spokesman said "He's very big and powerful and I suppose that, aligned with his lack of emotion - no warmth, no emotion - he's like a brick wall. I certainly felt some depth of presence tagged to a very sinister atmosphere about him."

Incredibly, outside the fence, on the 280 kms stretch between Alice Springs and Barrow Creek, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone, black or white, who thinks he's guilty. But Falconio was shot after 8pm and Murdoch was caught on video refuelling at Alice Springs about 12.45 am - he had plenty of time to dispose of the body.

Murdoch now has his hopes pinned on a review of DNA evidence found on the gearstick and steering wheel of the Kombi and on the inside of the hand-made cuffs. But there is no doubt about the spot of blood found on the back of Joanne's t-shirt - it matched Murdoch at 16 sites.

Murdoch currently receives lots of fan mail. He's due to apply for parole in 2033 but they won't grant it unless he shows remorse and tells them where he buried Peter Falconio. I think we are in for a long wait.

Edit 18 December 2013:  Today Murdoch officially launched an appeal against his sentence.  It is understood that he is basing his appeal on an assertion of misconduct by the Crown prosecutor at his original trial.